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La Madeleine in New Orleans
By Robert Sloan
One of the few restaurants I actually love and miss is La Madeleine in New Orleans. Located on the corner right across from the front of Jackson Square in sight of the St. Louis Cathedral, this French cafe has moderate to low priced food in copious quantity and a beautiful ambience. Back in the 1990s when I was a street artist in the French Quarter, I used to walk up to La Madeleine for my lunch if I had a good day. I was paid in cash so if I had the money, I indulged a little of it in a wonderful pastry. They had the most glorious variety of desserts and pastries, plus good cafe au lait done with steamed milk and rich coffee. You could get unlimited coffee for buying it once and unlimited fresh sliced French bread with real butter. That made it my lunch of choice on days I didn't earn much, because I'd go in just for the coffee and get bread with it. Raw sugar is served to sweeten your coffee, it has big crystals with a slight molasses flavor lighter than any brown sugar and more flavorful than white sugar. It's less refined and possibly more healthful. When I did have the money for a full meal, my favorite was their homemade French Onion Soup. This came with plenty of good cheese melting at the bottom, rich onions and homemade beef stock plus of course as much of that ultra fresh buttered French bread as I wanted with my soup. Then I'd finish it off with a chocolate croissant, almond croissant, or any of the filled goodies since I am a serious custard fan. Madeleines are little pastries shaped like nuns, they don't have a filling so I only tried them once but they're good for what they are, crunchy and not super sweet. I've got more of a kid's taste in desserts so give me plenty of filling and icing on top and buttery delicate pastry that melts in the mouth. La Madeleine serves many varieties of croissants and not all are sweet. I would sometimes get a croissant with my French Onion soup or some friends and I would get a basket of them. You could also buy any of their great breads from the bakery -- the cafe is also a bakery so you can take those treats home with you in larger quantity than a single serving. I haven't been back to New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina, but the prices and traditions at La Madeleine are so famous that I would be surprised and grieved to find out it had closed or moved. It was one of the special joys of my life during those years and a place I met most of my friends. Perfect for hanging out a while and taking a rest if you're a tourist walking around a lot -- or a local who wants a cheap treat in a glorious historical building with a beautiful atmosphere. Service was excellent too even when La Madeleine got crowded, which happened often during tourist season when both the tourists came in and the artists, musicians, tarot readers, mimes, street performers and entrepreneurs were all flush from selling and performing. The same historic bakery-cafe serves both with utter graciousness and will give a lift to your day without strapping your wallet. |
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February, 2012
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